Okay it’s the end of July and beginning of August. I am riding home with my laptop in hand getting ready to go camping over the weekend. I have crammed forty hours of work into four days and feeling the pressure to get my work done on time and on schedule. Last night was possibly the worst commuting night I have had so far. I won’t go into the details but suffice it to say that I am on the same train as last night and in a much better space.
This month started out awesomely, with Neel and Meghan’s wedding. Right out the gate I found out I was gonna be an uncle for the second time, this is great news. From there it just kept getting better. Two words: Security Guy. After that I had the extreme pleasure of being Michelle’s guest for a sales contest that she won. Okay, I will be the first to admit I totally drank the company cool-aid. I only had to sit with Michelle’s manager for ten minutes, before I started making my retirement plans. Nobody is as supportive or as proud of Michelle as I am. From the moment I suggested to her that she try the financial services industry, I knew that she would be FUCKING awesome at it. She is. Denis knows it. Michelle knows it. Her manager knows it too. It’s not very often, outside of our AZF2K family, that people stop me and tell me how lucky I am to be with Michelle. Well, every single one of her colleagues did just that. These people were singing her praise, and I wasn’t gonna stop them. I said to her manager that I was gonna retire when Michelle doubled my income. He asked me, what I planned to do in January, because that was likely to happen this year. Okay, I know it’s not cool to brag, and I am not (well, okay. Not that much). But seriously, it was the best way I could think to spend my last vacation days of the year. I love you Michelle, and I want everyone to know how proud I am of all you have accomplished.
The next week, I pulled out all of the stops for Michelle’s birthday, but the biggest surprise came when Michelle and I were sitting at the bar of Le Chateau, and my phone rang. Les and Jen are moving back east. All of my brothers will be within an hour and half ride from my home. My camping partner is on the same coast as me again, and the fall looks to be promising.
From there it was back to the grind. I have been hip deep in work since the day we got home. I have been struggling to get all these exams done, and they just don’t seem to end. It appears that on the last day of July, my company decided to change names once it acquired the NYSE regulation, portion of the
New York Stock exchange. We’re now known as FINRA, I had to spend hours the other day just listening to how great it’s gonna be.
Tomorrow, the Malino family will be joining us for a camping trip to Little Pond campground, in Livingston Manor, NY. Tobi and Barry, the newly engaged, will be joining us on Saturday. Taking stock of all that has happened, I realize that I am a truly blessed person, and the only other thing I could ask for is that Aaron and Dawn drink the communal cool-aid and think about moving north east.
Now I have told you all about what I have been up to since we last saw each other. Chime in and tell me what you’re up to power couples.
Love you all,
DMAC
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:27 am
Well it’s been more than a few months since you seen me, and hardly anyone on this board knows me anyway…..I started the trend moving back east, just not the Northeast…..
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:50 pm
Well said D. I couldn’t have put it better :-D
August 4th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
I completely agree with Dennis’s sentiment. The support and friendship you all have given us has made me happier than I ever thought I could be. How I can be blessed with such amazing big-hearted and loving friends and a wonderful wife is still a bit of a mystery to me. To see you all finding such success and happiness brings me a lot of joy.
Okay, its all a bit sappy, but here’s the cold, hard, harsh truth: Working 16 hour days, traveling 250 days a year, struggling to keep the company going and make ends meet can really, really get me down. A couple of weekends ago I worked 12 hours, drove 3 1/2 hours round trip to spend 3 hours in the company of Aaron, Dawn, Lester and Erin, slept 4 hours, and went back to another 12 hour work day. It sure sounds like it should be tiring, but in fact it was rejuvinating. Such is the effect you have one me.
Tonight I’m in Ohio on part of a 16 day, 3 city work junket. I’m tried and a bit run down but hearing from you guys keeps me up. I honestly believe that you guys and Meghan saved my life, inspire me and keep me going. I owe everything to my friends and trying to think of ways to give back somehow also brings me joy. Good times.
August 6th, 2007 at 7:34 am
Wow. Neel, you said “wife”, that is cool. (I would have said “totally cool” but you guys would make fun of me!!) You know that you guys are on the wishlist of people that we would love to see living within an hour. And Norm, I don’t know why you are still down South, drink the fun coolaid and come on up!!
As far as Denis’s comments, it is awesome to have so much support. I really appreciate it. He really did drink the company coolaid and now a really high bar has been set and I have my work cut out for me. I will do my best. Meghan and Neels wedding was awesome. It was great to see familiar faces and get to know new people.
We had a great camping trip this weekend. Playing with Seabass in the lake was great. As was laying on the beach, canoeing, hiking and having success with all of our meals even when we had to improvise a bit (Lester you would have been proud, I reached for beer and butter)
I made Ice cream for Maggies birthday this morning and I am looking forward to a girls weekend in the city starting Friday night at les halles (best steak frites with bearnaise in Manhattan!)